PARIS ST GERMAIN may be proving that money really CAN buy happiness in Ligue 1 at the moment, but behind Alain Kombouare’s free-spending pace-setters, an unlikely challenge is brewing.

Rene Girard’s Montpellier lie second in the table, three points behind the Parisians having won eight of their opening 13 fixtures. They are the division’s top scorers, with 28 goals.

Eight of those have been scored by striker Olivier Giroud. The 25-year-old is level with PSG’s Kevin Gameiro as the league’s leading marksman, and says Montpellier are capable of lasting the pace at the top of the table.

"When I see that we are capable of competing with the bigger clubs, and that we have played all the big boys with the exception of Marseille and yet we are still there, I am convinced that we have what it takes to stay up at the top of the table," he said.

"When you look at the way we have started the season, and the self-belief we have, the efficiency in front of goal, we have every reason to confront the remainder of the season full of hope."